Cup Holder With Recessed Inner Surface For Easy Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cup holders with a simple round hole configuration make it difficult to remove a drink container as it tends to be bent and pressed against the outer periphery when grasped for removal.
Innovation Solution
A cup holder design featuring an enclosure portion with inner peripheral supporting surfaces and recessed surfaces arranged in a circumferential direction, allowing the drink container to be easily removed by releasing bending through the recessed surfaces, which are distributed across multiple positions for comprehensive support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a simple round hole configuration is used for the cup holder, then the device complexity is reduced and manufacturing is easier, but the drink container becomes bent and pressed against the outer periphery when grasped for removal, making it difficult to take out
Solution Approach 1:
The inner peripheral surface of the enclosure portion is designed with non-uniform structure, featuring alternating inner peripheral supporting surfaces and recessed surfaces. This local variation in geometry allows specific zones to provide support while other zones accommodate deformation, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and removal ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The continuous inner peripheral surface is segmented into multiple functional zones: inner peripheral supporting surfaces that provide structural support and recessed surfaces that accommodate deformation. This segmentation allows the cup holder to simultaneously maintain structural integrity and facilitate easy removal by distributing mechanical stresses across different zones.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the drink container is tightly supported against the outer periphery for stability, then the stability of the drink container is improved, but the drink container becomes difficult to remove when grasped due to bending and pressing against the holder
Solution Approach 1:
Different zones of the inner peripheral surface provide different functions: inner peripheral supporting surfaces provide stable support to prevent excessive movement, while recessed surfaces provide deformation space to facilitate removal. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between stability and ease of removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The recessed surfaces convert the harmful effect of container bending during removal into a beneficial feature by providing dedicated space for deformation. Instead of resisting the natural bending that occurs during grasping, the design accommodates it, thereby facilitating easier removal while maintaining stability during normal use.
Data Source
AI summary
A cup holder includes an enclosure portion configured to hold a drink container inserted therein so as to surround the drink container from an outer peripheral side. An inner peripheral surface of the enclosure portion includes inner peripheral supporting surfaces and recessed surfaces arranged side by side in a circumferential direction, the inner peripheral supporting surfaces extending in the circumferential direction so as to continuously or intermittently draw arc surfaces concentric to each other with the same diameter, the recessed surfaces extending in the circumferential direction in a shape recessed radially outward relative to the inner peripheral supporting surfaces.